More than a quarter of American workers always go to work when they’re sick, according to a new survey from NSF International, a global public health and safety organization. The survey found that an additional one-third (34 percent) wait until they experience the full effect of their symptoms before deciding to stay home.
Americans don’t like to take sick days – and when they’re sick, they don’t take steps to prevent co-workers from getting sick, too. Those conclusions come from a new study commissioned by Cintas Corporation, which found that 84% of U.S. adults who are employed have gone to work while sick. Of those, 45 percent don’t warn co-workers about their illness, and 45 percent don’t avoid direct contact – such as shaking hands – which could transmit an illness to others.
Does it make economic sense for employers to offer or expand paid sick leave benefits to their employees? A new NIOSH study published in the American Journal of Public Health reported that workers with access to paid sick leave were 28% less likely overall to suffer nonfatal occupational injuries than workers without access to paid sick leave.
”Often, the indirect costs of illness and injury that burden businesses are several times higher than direct medical costs,” said Nancy Petersen, senior marketing manager, Cintas.